The Doll and the Robot
by RobDeBrony
Summary: Hoodude Voodoo. Robecca Steam. Two very different Monsters, brought together by a stroke of chance and fate. The two are Brother and Sister, despite not knowing it. They've hardly met before, they've hardly interacted and they never expected their lives to become so special once they finally did.
1. The Book

It was a gloomy and rainy day. The sky was grey, the sun was blocked by the never ending clouds and the rain pounded against the windows of Kindergrubber's Bed and Breakfast.

Hoodude sat in the lobby, holding a book in his hand, staring out the window into the depressed sky. He looked back at his book, frowning. "No school today" He said to himself, skimming through the book's pages. "I guess it's a good thing and a bad thing, y'know. I mean, at least we don't have to go to any-" He looked up, noticing he was completely alone. He stared at the chairs around him for a moment. "Oh...". He stared at his book, looking at the pictures. He flipped through the book and stared at the title. "Romeo and Juliet" he read out loud. He stared out the window once again, this time with a frown painted across his stitched face. He stood up, going to get some food from the kitchen. He turned the corner and bumped into something, causing him to fall backwards and land on his backside, dropping his book.

He held his head, having hit it against the doorway during his fall. He opened his eyes slightly, revealing a brown and blue blur. He opened his eyes properly, allowing them to adjust. "Oh, shoot." He said, standing up and looking at the Girl he'd knocked over. She shook her head around, trying to resettle the clockwork mechanism inside, then opened her eyes and looked at him. "Oh...it's fine" She said. He took hold of his book and stood up, looking down at the Girl. She was attempting to pick up all of her things at the same time. He decided, since it was pretty much his fault, that he should help. Hoodude bent down and went to take hold of a book that she had dropped. As he did so, she went for it as well. Their hands met each other, his hand landing on top of hers. The two stared at each other momentarily, their eyes meeting each other. Hoodude scratched the back of his head and chuckled. "Here. Let me help you with that" He said, picking up the book. She continued to stare at him for a few moments, before smiling and standing up straight with her box of possessions.

Miss Kindergrubber, who witnessed the accident, walked over to the two. "Are you two alright?" She asked. "Yes Miss Kindergrubber" The two replied in unison. "What happened?" Hoodude scratched the back of his head. "I, uh...kinda walked into her, Miss Kindergrubber" He said. "No. It was my fault. I wasn't looking where I was going" The Girl said said. "Well...it sounds to me like you're both to blame" Miss Kindergrubber said. "Both of you need to apologize" She said. "Hoodude, you first" Hoodude scratched his head. "I'm sorry...um...sorry, I forgot your name again..." The Girl giggled. "That's very rude, Hoodude" Kindergrubber said. "No, it's fine. My name is Robecca" She said. "Oh, yeah. I'm sorry, Robecca" He said. "That's quite alright. I apologize too" Robecca said, smiling at him sweetly. "I accept yours" He gave her a smile, scratching the back of his head. Miss Kindergrubber smiled at them , then walked back to the kitchen. Hoodude stared at Robecca, then back at the book in his hand, which he must have read about seven times. He then looked back at Robecca. "Uh...hey. What're you doing?" He asked her. She looked at him. "Me?"  
"Yeah"  
"I'm moving some of my things to my new room"  
"New room? Where was your old one?"  
"Oh. It was at the end of the upstairs corridor. Room five"  
"Oh...where's your new one?"  
"Room three"  
"That's right next to my room, room four"  
"Oh, really? I thought you slept downstairs?"  
"No, heh. I'm...not really a fan of couches..." He said, scratching the back of his head smiling. ""I'm Hoodude, by the way" He said, giving her a rather tiny wave. "Um, do you want help with that?" He asked. She looked up at him. "That would be very nice, thank you" She said. He smiled as he took hold of a large pile of books from the top of her box. The books weighed him down, causing him to fall downwards, which in turn provoked Robecca to giggle. He smiled at her, regaining his balance. "So, we may as well get to know each other" Robecca said, smiling. "Well, uhhh...well, there's not much stuff about me that's interesting..." He said, scratching his head. "Oh, don't say that. There has to be something about you that others find interesting" He tilted his head, trying to think of something. "Uuuhhh...well, I took an online course in engineering" He said, in an unenthusiastic tone. "You taught yourself engineering through the Internet?" She asked him. "Well...yeah, it wasn't really that hard...the Internet part, I mean..." She giggled at his comment, causing him to let out a small smile. "So, uh. What do you usually do around here?" He asked. "I mostly just read or draw, but I tend to invite people over, sometimes"  
"Does...Miss Kindergrubber allow that sorta thing?"  
"Well...I suppose so. She doesn't seem to have any problem with it"  
"Well...have you asked her?"  
"Yes, of course. I ask her every time I invite anyone over." Hoodude scratched his head and ran his fingers through his long, blue hair. "So, uhh...how long have you been living here?" He asked, nervously. "Probably about a Month now"  
"Really? Me too..."  
"Wow. How come we haven't noticed each other?"  
"I was gonna ask you the same..." Hoodude looked around the corridor as they finally reached room three. "Please, allow me" He said, going to open the door, which of course resulted in him almost dropping her books on his way in. He landed on the bed and rolled off of it clumsily. "Are you okay?!" She asked, rushing inside and plopping her things down on the bed. She ran over to him, seeing him sprawled out across the floor. "Yeah...yeah I'm fine" She smiled, placing her hand over her mouth and trying not to giggle. "Home sweet home" He said, spreading his arms. She reached down to him, holding out an arm. He took hold of it and she helped him onto his feet. He smiled at her. He looked around the room. "Well, uh...I guess I'll leave you to settle in, I guess..."  
"I suppose" He gave her a smile for about the seventh time that day. "See you at school, I guess" He turned to leave. Robecca watched him exit the room. "Yeah...at school"


	2. In My Mind

Luckily for Hoodude, the rain had stopped the following day. He hated rain. It didn't just soak his clothes through, but literally soaked his insides. It felt like someone was cramming several ice-cubes down his throat. Despite how horrid it made him feel, it wasn't as bad as fire, at least. If Hoodude even heard the word "fire", he tensed up like a petrified Guinea Pig. Even when he thought about it, he just-

"You alright, mate?"

What?...Oh yeah, Lagoona was sat with him.  
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm good"  
"You sure? You look as troubled as a legless Squid"  
Lagoona was probably Hoodude's best friend, if not his only friend. It was weird, he was usually rather timid and awkward around Girls. She was probably the only Girl at school he didn't feel nervous around. He didn't know what it was about her. Possibly her attitude? Her personality? Maybe the way she talked to him?  
"I'm fine, Lagoona. Just thinking"  
"What about?"  
"Nothing important"  
"Hoodude. I know that face. You're lying"  
"What face...this is my face" He said, raising his head upwards and staring at her. She raised an eyebrow and smirked, looking across the table. "Mate. I know you. An' I know when somethings wrong. So go ahead and tell me"  
He frowned at her. "I'd...really rather not say"  
"Aaw, c'mon. You tell ol' Lagoona what's the matter with ya' "  
He chuckled, looking around and making sure nobody could hear. "I...I literally just realized yesterday that Robecca lives with me"  
"Kindergrubber's place? She's been living there 'bout three Months now..."  
"I know, but I only just noticed her yesterday"  
Lagoona smirked, looking him in the eyes. "...What?"  
"Oooh, nothing..."  
"Lagoona...what are you thinking?"  
"It's like I said it is. Nothing..."  
Hoodude gave her a long, confused look, before returning to staring at the table thoughtfully. To be completely honest, he was quite baffled and surprised that he never noticed Robecca before. Possibly because he spent a lot of time on his own just doing his own thing. As he was lost in thought, the bell went. "Oh no, I'm gonna be late for Clawculus!" He picked up his bag and sprinted out the room, crashing into someone in the process. He was even more embarrassed when he saw who it was. "Robecca! I'm so sorry!" She stared down at him, giggling slightly, then extending an arm down to him. "We really need to stop bumping into one another" She said. "Well I'd rather bump into you than anyone else" He said, picking up his bag. She gave him a confused look as she helped him to his feet. "What do you mean?"  
"Well a lot of the Girls in school are kinda mean to me, or don't really tolerate me as much as you"  
"Oh, I see" Robecca gave him another sweet smile, which he couldn't help but return. "So, um. Where are you headed in such a hurry?" She asked of him.  
"Oh, Clawculus. I'm gonna be late"  
Robecca stared at him for a few moments, smirking.  
"...Oh, yeah! I gotta go!"He said, turning and running in the opposite direction. Robecca giggled, keeping her eyes fixed on him as he ran away.

* * *

After Clawculus, Hoodude sulkily lumbered out of the classroom, his huge, heavy bag on his back. He'd received detention for being late and wasn't exactly in a good mood. He made his way to the Library, where he sat and began to flip through the pages of his Clawculus book. To be completely honest, he absolutely despised Clawculus. Everything about it was just...eugh. Sitting there watching some guy write numbers on a board then screw around with them until another number 'magically' appeared. He put his book down, staring at his wrist. He slid his sleeve upwards, staring at his watch. "13:34..." He said aloud to himself, "Three more hours 'til we go home". He set his eyes back on his book, flicking through the pages again and sliding his sleeve back downwards. Jeez, what a Hell of a day it had been. He'd been late for almost every class, head in the clouds as usual. Hoodude, of course, was the type of guy who liked being by himself to just think and reflect on things that may have happened. He maybe even sometimes daydreamed about things that he may have wanted to happen. He knew it was weird, but it was who he was, and he couldn't exactly help that, no matter how much he was berated for it.  
After studying for a while, he made his way to the lunch hall. Upon his arrival, he noticed Frankie, Draculaura and Clawdeen sat together on one table. His first instinct was to go and join them, but he decided against it. He usually got yelled at for being "extremely irritating" when he sat with Girls he didn't know very well. Frankie happened to look over to him. "Hoodude looks sad"  
"What'd'you mean?" Clawdeen said, looking over at him.  
"Well...he just looks kinda lonely"  
"You're not sayin' what I-"  
"We should invite him over"  
"Yep, you are...he's kind of annoyin', though"  
"I hate to say it, but Clawdeen's kinda right, Frankie" Draculaura joined in.  
"You guys! That's really mean..."  
"Everywhere he goes, trouble seems to follow" Clawdeen took a sip of her soda  
"Just give him a chance, you guys! He hardly ever sits with anyone. Don't you feel kinda sorry for him?"  
"It's not our fault he's unsocial" Clawdeen glared over at Hoodude. "He sits there, alone, every day. If he's feelin' lonely, how come he doesn't just sit with someone himself?"  
"Just give him a chance, Clawdeen...come on, for me?" Frankie smiled, making her eyes look as large and puppy-Dog-like as she could. "Frankie. I'm not in th'mood to be annoyed. Maybe another day" Clawdeen said, turning away.

Frankie couldn't believe it. Clawdeen had always been a kind and helpful Ghoul. Why was she acting like this? Was there some kind of history she had with Hoodude that she was hiding? Frankie looked over at the lonely Boy, who sunk his face into his hands and rubbed his eyes.


	3. What Friends Are For

Hoodude flipped over the page, looking at his drawings and doodles. He'd tried to give them names, but couldn't think of any. He looked out of his bedroom window into the lonely darkness of the night. He had been home from school for at least three hours now, and it had gotten dark. There wasn't much to do these days. The TV screen in the lobby fell off it's shelf and Mrs Kindergrubber was in the process of replacing it, so Hoodude had to stay in his room and think of a way to entertain himself, which was hard for a Ghoul like him. Hoodude didn't have a phone, because the tips of his fingers were too soft and fluffy for him to use one, and her didn't have a laptop because he was too clumsy to properly take care of one. Instead, he had to either read or draw, which was still pretty hard.

His head spun back around as someone knocked on his door. "Coming!" He yelled as he got up and practically tumbled down the ladder of his bunk bed. As he walked over and opened it, he was surprised to find Robecca on the other side, who looked up at him and smiled. He gave her a nervous laugh. "Hey Robecca."

"Evening" She said with a sweet smile. "I was wondering, since the TV is broken, if I could stay in your room for a bit. Things get slightly boring when I'm alone"

Hoodude looked down at her, freezing and widening his eyes. He couldn't believe it. '_A Girl actually wants to spend time with me! Like...like a **friend** would! I need to make sure I don't screw this up'. _With that, he gave her a smile and stepped to the side, lifting up his arm to invite her inside. "It would be my pleasure" He said charmingly. Robecca smiled at him and walked inside the room, placing her books down on the bed...well, one of them. She raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Hoodude, who closed the door. "Um...why do you have three beds?" She asked. Hoodude looked at the bed sat on its own against the wall, then at the bunk beds opposite it. "Oh, yeah. This room was like a guest room before I moved in. I liked the idea of having three beds because it takes up a lot of space"

"And why would you want it to take up a lot of space? Doesn't it make you feel...constricted?"

Hoodude turned to face her. "Yeah, of course it does. I like that feeling. It makes me feel safe and secure, like I'm surrounded by soft walls"

"Oh. So you're Agoraphobic?"

"I'm a-what-now?"

"Agoraphobic. Agoraphobia is the fear of wide, open spaces"

"Oh. Then no. I have no problem with wide, open spaces. Although, I'm not a big fan of going out in public. I tend to spend most of my time alone"

"Aaww." Robecca said remorsefully. "You shouldn't be afraid to show your face in public, Hoodude. Spending too much time alone is bad for you"

"Yeeaah, I know. But a lot of the Girls at school find me annoying, and It's kind of hard to socialize when my friends have friends that aren't on friendly terms with me..."

Robecca giggled, placing down her books on Hoodude's bedside table. "You could try asking them why they find you annoying"

"I tried that, but most of the time it makes me feel like they want me to change for them"

"You should never have to change for anyone." Robecca said, giving him a compassionate look. She reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder. Hoodude stared into her eyes. "Any friend who tries to make you change who you are is not a real friend" She said, staring back into his eyes like a mirror. Hoodude nodded. A few moments later, Robecca removed her hand from his shoulder and turned to sit on the bed. "So, uh...what do you do in your spare time?" He asked out of the blue.

"Oh, not much, really...I mostly just read or write"

"You're into writing?"

"Yes, I love it. It's how I put my old type-writer to use"

"I wish I could write" Hoodude said, frowning. "But I'd have no idea what to put"

Robecca giggled at his statement, covering her mouth. "Well, I'm glad we have something in common. Do you like reading too?" She asked.

"Yeah! I love reading!" Hoodude said with enthusiasm.

"What books do you like?"

"I just looove those romantic love story kinda books, y'know, like Romeo and Juliet by Shakescare?"

"I like that book too!" Robecca said, becoming slightly exited herself.

"The way he conveys their emotions..." He said, lost for words.

"And how the events in the story lead up to the climax..." Robecca added.

"Masterpeice" They both said in unison. Robecca looked over at Hoodude, who was staring at the ceiling in a trance. "Y'know..."

Hoodude turned over to face her, his smile slightly fading. "If you want, I mean, I could help you write"

"Really? How?"

"You could use my typewriter and I could help you with what to put"

"Really? You'd do that for me?"

"Of course. That's what friends are for, isn't it?" She said, turning over to him and giving him a sweet smile, which he returned.

Hoodude returned to staring at the ceiling. He didn't understand why Robecca was being so nice to him. All the other Girls at school found him annoying, apart from Lagoona. Robecca was the only Girl he'd ever met to treat him with kindness despite only just meeting him. He turned over to face her again, his smile refusing to retreat from his face.

"Thanks, Robecca"

"You're welcome, Hoodude"


	4. My Responsibility

It was the next day of school, and Hoodude was standing in the hallway, trying to get his locker open. He always struggled with his locker. Either his fingers were too fluffy or his locker was too stiff. Either way, it was annoying, especially on a day like this. He had football practice today. And, since he got his rear end kicked every time he played with the Boys, he had been transferred to the Girl's team. And, considering almost all of the Girl's found him annoying, he mostly just sat on the bench and sulked sadly.

Further down the hallway, Frankie was stood talking to Lagoona. The two were engrossed in their gossip, when Frankie noticed Hoodude struggling with his locker. The sound of Lagoona's voice became more and more distant as she watched Hoodude let out a sigh. "Frankie? Are you listenin' t'me?"

"Look at Hoodude..."

Lagoona turned around, holding her book into her chest as if she were hugging it. "Aaaw, poor thing...he looks so lonely over there..."

Frankie stared at the floor, still feeling guilty about what happened between her and Clawdeen. "I tried to convince Clawdeen and Draculaura to let him sit with us yesterday"

"Oh, what happened?"

"Clawdeen wasn't having it" Frankie said with a giggle.

"Oh, that Ghoul needs t'learn some tolerance"

"Tell me about it" Frankie took another long look at Hoodude. "Sometimes I just...just wish that I could spend more time with him...I mean, I did create him. He's my responsibility. But our classes are so different"

"Well, go on then!"

Frankie's head darted around and she stared at Lagoona with wide eyes. "Wait, what?"

"Class doesn't start for an hour yet. Go and talk t'him!" Lagoona said as she pushed Frankie forward, who immediately turned around and stared at Lagoona for help. "Jus' start up a conversation!" Lagoona said, smiling in amusement.

Frankie grumbled, she turned her head as she walked towards Hoodude. Hoodude also just so happened to be turning to walk in her direction too. The two collided, exchanging looks of shock and embarrassment. Frankie gave out a nervous laugh, as did Hoodude.  
"Hey" She said.  
"Hi" He replied.  
The two stared at each other for a short while, both feeling too awkward to spring up a conversation. Frankie looked over at Lagoona for help, who gestured something to her. "What are you looking-"

"So, uh, how's football practice going?" She randomly asked, diverting his attention. She was holding her book in front of her, hugging it. It almost looked like she was using it as a shield. Hoodude shook his head. "Terrible. I swear, the Boys on my team treat me like **I'm** the ball"

Frankie giggled at his comment, provoking a nervous smile from the Ragdoll. "So, yeah...I kinda play for the Girl's team now"

"Oh! Really? What's your position?"

"Well...mostly sitting down..."

"Huh?" Frankie raised an eyebrow.

"Well, Coach Igor doesn't really like me actually playing, 'cause I'm kind of clumsy"

"Aaw. That's sad. So you just..."

"Sit on the bench. I would talk to some of the Ghouls, but they don't tend to respond much"

Frankie frowned. It sounded like Hoodude had it pretty bad. His bad luck didn't just end with Clawdeen. "So, uhhhh...how's Holt and Jackson doing?" He asked nervously. Frankie frowned, feeling slightly awkward. "Um, actually the situation with Holt and Jackson...didn't really work out"

"Oh, really? What happened?" He asked, feeling a slight glimmer of hope for his lost sense of romance.  
"Well, they couldn't get their heads straight and I couldn't deal with the stress. But, eventually, they found someone else and I found someone else too"

Hoodude frowned, mentally kicking himself for getting his hopes up. "Oh..." He said glumly. Frankie noticed his sudden change in mood and raised an eyebrow, concerned. "Are you okay, Hoodude?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, yeah. I'm good" He said, clearing his stitched throat. "So, uh, who's the lucky guy?" He said, giving her a smile. She smiled back at him, falling into a romantic trance as she sighed deeply. "His name is Neighthan" She said, giggling goofily.

"And I'm assuming that this Neighthan is a regular cassanova?"

She snapped out of her trance. "Huh? What?"

"Not every guy gets a girl fanticising over him like that" He said, smirking and pointing. She blushed, slightly embarrassed. "Hey, don't tell him about that, okay?" She said. "These lips are stit-I mean sealed" He said, chuckling nervously, which also provoked another giggle from Frankie. She took a quick glance around the hallway, then sighed. "Look, I'm sorry about yesterday"  
"Why? What happened?"  
"Well, I was gonna invite you to sit with us and-"  
"Oh, that, yeah..."

Frankie's eyes widened slightly and she blinked in surprise. "You...know?"  
"Frankie, I was listening" He said. "Why do you think I put my head down?"  
"Oh, uuuh..." Frankie blushed in embarrassment. "Yeah, sorry about that. Clawdeen isn't the kind of Ghoul who likes being annoyed"  
"She thinks I'm...annoying?" He asked.  
"Yeah. Draculaura too..."

Hoodude's heart dropped. '_Here we go again..._' he thought to himself. "I'm...kind of used to Girls thinking I'm annoying by now"

"Aaw. You poor thing..." Frankie frowned, feeling even more sorry for Hoodude. "You must feel really lonely, huh?"

Hoodude's heart sunk even further into his stitched chest and he squeezed his button eyes shut. "I tend not to think about it..."

Frankie honestly didn't know what to say. She knew Hoodude was sad, but not this sad. She had to do something to make it up to him. After all, he was her responsibility. Suddenly, the bolts on her neck sparked and she gasped quietly. "I got it!" She said.

Hoodude perked up. "What?"

"Later, when I sit down for lunch, I'll sit with Neighthan and his friends and you can sit with us!" She said. "They **wont** find you annoying"

He scratched the beck of his neck. "I dunno, Frankie...what if they don't like me?" He said, feeling extremely nervous.

"Trust me. They will. They understand what it's like to have freaky flaws"

Hoodude shook his head, closing his eyes. "Hoodude?...Please?" He opened them again to see Frankie frowning at him with her hands joined, making the biggest puppy-Dog eyes she could. He stared at them for a few moments. "...Alright, Frankie" He said. She smiled and giggled, clapping quietly, before throwing her arms around him and pulling him into a hug. He froze as his body was pressed against hers, feeling a slight warm, cozy, comforting feeling. He slowly and nervously placed his hands on her back, making the best attempt he could at a hug. "Thanks, Hoodude. You'e going to love Neighthan!" She said, a wide grin on her face.

He smiled happily as she pulled away. "I'll take your word for it, Frankie"

"Good to hear. See you after class, I guess"

"Yeah, see you"


	5. New Bonds

The stitched Boy brushed the hairs off his fluffy body as he looked around the lunch hall, waiting to see a stitched, green hand pop up from the sea of heads and wave to him. He was more nervous that he'd ever been before. He didn't want to make a bad first impression but, at the same time, he thought it was inevitable. He gulped, fiddling around with his finger nervously. Finally, he spotted Frankie's hand wave to him from a table next to a window. He smiled and rushed over to her, eager to meet her new friends.

"Now, try not to offend him, guys. He's kind of sensitive, so go easy on him. I know you don't particularly like meeting new people" Frankie said, looking at the four Monsters.

"It's not that we don't like meeting new people. It's just...we have a hard time trusting them" Bonita said, her expression softening.

"Either that, or they make a bad first impression" Avea added.

"Oh...well, still, this guy is different. He's a little...strange, but he's a nice guy. I promise" She said.

"Maybe we should trust Frankie on this one, Avea" Neighthan said. "I know that we've had a lot of troubles from Purebloods in the past, but Frankie says this guy's different"

"Yeah? So?"

"Has she ever been wrong before?"

Avea gave Neighthan a stern look, raising one of her purple eyebrows. "Come on, Avea. Give this guy a chance. Please?" Neighthan asked, confident that this friend of Frankie's would make a good first impression. Bonita and Sirena looked at eachother, both of them smiling. Avea let out a sigh of defeat. "Okay, fine. I'll give him a chance" She said, provoking a wide grin from Neighthan.

Hoodude eventually reached the table. "Hi Frankie!" He yelled loudly, causing Bonita to yelp in fear. "Sorry" He said immediately. His eyes darted around at the other four Monsters. Much to his surprise, a smile and a silent chuckle came from the Ghost-Mermaid sitting in the corner. He let out an embarrassed smile. He swore, if he could blush, his entire face would be red by now. "Hoodude. Come on, sit down" Frankie said. He went and sat on the edge of the bench next to Bonita and Frankie sat down next to Neighthan, who put his arm around Frankie's waist, smiling at Hoodude.

"So, Frankie. Why don't you introduce us?" Avea said, raising an eyebrow at the Ghoul. "Sure. Guys, this is Hoodude. He was my, uh...'first' Boyfriend, if you can call it that" Hoodude chuckled. "I suppose you can call it that"

"I pretty much built him myself. Shows how much I know about Monster anatomy" She joked, causing Hoodude to giggle nervously. "What about you guys?"

"What about us?"

"Aren't you gonna introduce yourselves?" Avea looked over at Neighthan, who scratched the back of his neck. "Uh, well I'm Neighthan" He said. "I'm pretty sure Frankie's already told you about me. This is Avea" He said, pointing to the Harpy-Centaur. "That's Bonita and that's Sirena" He added cheerfully, pointing out the other two Hybrids. "Hi" Bonita called. "Hey" Avea said, not exactly amused. Sirena, however, floated over to Hoodude and poked him in the belly. Her mouth formed into a wide grin as she threw her arms around him and giggled. "Hehehe! You guys should totally try this! He's just like a teddy Bear!"

Frankie giggled at the Ghoul, while Hoodude just smirking awkwardly as she hugged him like a pillow. "Yeah...Sirena's a free spirit. There's no telling what she'll do next" Neighthan explained, grinning at Sirena. "As you can imagine, that leads to some pretty awkward situations"

"That's okay. She's kinda funny" Hoodude said, smiling down at the Ghoul, who gave him a wide grin. "I'm kind of used to awkward situations"

"I can imagine" Neighthan chuckled. Hoodude glanced at Avea and Bonita. "What about the rest of you? Anything else that needs pointing out?"

"Well, Bonita's kind of jumpy. She has anxiety, so she doesn't get along well with loud noises"

"Oh...so I guess I didn't exactly make a good first impression, then?" He said, scratching his head. "Oh, no. It's fine. I guess I just wasn't expecting it" She said, giving Hoodude a friendly smile. He turned his attention to Avea. "Avea has a bad habit of-"

"I can tend to interrupt a lot" She blurted out, causing Hoodude to widen his eyes. "...Yeaaahh. She' also kind of stubborn"

Avea scoffed. "No I'm not"

"Yes...you are"

"Am not"

"Are"

"Not"

"Are"

"**I AM NOT**"

"See what I mean?"

"Dammit!"

Hoodude chuckled, still wobbling from having Sirena wrapped around his belly. "How did you guys meet?" He asked. The group of Hybrids looked at each other awkwardly. "It usually consisted of us being paired together for class projects or just so happening to come across each other" Neighthan explained.

"I met Sirena when I was paired with her for an arts and crafts project in kindergarden" Avea said. "You can imagine she didn't do very well"

"I kind of met Avea and Sirena when I ran into them in high school. Literally, 'ran' into them" Neighthan said, letting out a nervous chuckle.

"We met Bonita in high school, too. She was being picked on by a couple of Purebloods and mister cluts here came to her rescue" Avea looked at Neighthan, smirking, who simply smiled back. "I wasn't that much of a cluts"

"You once managed to fall **up** the stairs"

"...Okay, so maybe I was"

Hoodude chuckled loudly. "I guess you guys aren't so bad...I didn't expect this to go as well as it did" He said.

Avea raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well...I have this...'condition'..."

Frankie suddenly perked up. _'A condition? What is he talking about?'_

"I'd...rather not go into immense detail about it, but sometimes I can get really paranoid and...there have been situations like this in the past where I've...said something that hurt someone else's feelings and it's ended pretty badly for me"

Much to Neighthan and Frankie's surprise, Avea's hard expression softened as her jaw dropped slightly. She blinked and opened her mouth to say something, but remained silent. "That's so sad" Sirena said, sniffing up as she threw herself against Hoodude for another hug. "Gosh, you must have been through a lot" Bonita said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Frankie was just as shocked as Avea was. She was the one who built Hoodude. The fact that she had no idea he had this 'condition' took her completely by surprise. Avea just stared. Then she sighed deeply. Then she spoke. "I...I don't know what to say..."

"It's alright...you don't have to say anything"

"Have you had anyone helping you to overcome your issues?"

"I...w-well, I wouldn't call them issues" He stuttered. "Miss Kindergrubber knows about it, but doesn't help me with it as much as she says she will"

"Gosh...you poor thing" Avea said, placing a hand on her chest sadly. "I want you to know, if you ever need anything, you can count on us" She said, giving Hoodude a sweet smile. Bonita and Sirena nodded at Hoodude, as did Neighthan.

Hoodude smile back at them all, then over at Frankie, who sneaked a small smile over to him. He liked this feeling. The feeling that other Monsters had his back. Kind, friendly, good-hearted Monsters, too.

Frankie stared at Hoodude as he became engrossed in a conversation with the Ghouls. One thing still didn't match up. Frankie built Hoodude, so she knew everything about his anatomy.

So how didn't she know about his condition?...


	6. Goalpost

Hoodude sat on the bench at the edge of the football pitch, watching the ball getting kicked from one side of the grassy field to the other. Of course, he wished that he could play for the team, but the coach knew how clumsy he was. Watching the Girls play was entertaining enough for him, anyway. He liked to see how they dribbled the ball between their feet, charging over to the goal and sending it flying in with a short but glorious celebration. He even found himself cheering for them occasionally. They were playing against the Wolf Pack. A team made up entirely of Werewolves, who were almost experts at chasing balls, let alone catching them. As well as that, just to make things harder, they were losing by three goals.

Frankie, who was also sat on the bench in her fearleading uniform, looked over at Hoodude. She was there with Neighthan to cheer the football team on until the rest of her fearleading team arrived. Also, as always, Lagoona was in the middle of the pitch dressed in a black top and shorts with a whistle around her neck. She was, of course, the referee. Running around the pitch was Venus McFlytrap. Hoodude didn't know her very well, but he knew that she was the captain of the Girl's football team, shown by the pink and white badge on her shirt. As well as that, she was one of Robecca's friends.

Neighthan noticed Frankie staring at Hoodude. He nudged her, getting her attention. "Huh? What?"

"Why are you staring at him?"

"Oh...he's lonely Neighthan"

"Lonely?"

"Yeah...I think he needs cheering up"

"Hmm...I'll go talk to him" He said. "Maybe I can convince the coach to let him play"

"Oh, no. That's a bad idea"

Neighthan turned around, raising an eyebrow at Frankie. "Why?"

"He's way too clumsy to play"

"Oh, come on, that's not fair" He said. Frankie placed her finger on her chin, biting her bottom lip. If Hoodude played and ended up messing up chances for the team to score, she was sure everyone would yell at him. She didn't want him to go through that embarrassment. However, he needed to make some friends and his main problem was that the Ghouls found him annoying, so she decided to take the risk. "...Okay then" She said hesitantly.

Neighthan smiled, walking over to Hoodude just as Lagoona blew the whistle for a water break.

"Hey, man. How're you doing?" He asked, sitting down next to the Ragdoll. "I'm good"

"You don't look good"

"Then why'd you ask?"

Neighthan chuckled. "So...why're you not playing for the team?"

"I'm...way too clumsy" He said.

"Dude. I'm way more clumsy than you are"

"I don't doubt that, but I can't even kick the ball. My leg would just bend"

Neighthan ran his fingers through his multicoloured hair, thinking to himself. "Can't you just ask coach if you can play?"

"He doesn't exactly like me"

"How come?"

"He just thinks I'm pretty useless"

Neighthan frowned, feeling rather sympathetic for Hoodude. "I used to play for the Boy's team but I ended up being the ball"

"...The ball?"

Neighthan's frown turned into a look of confusion as he raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, the ball" He explained. "I have this...thing that I can do and it...kinda got taken advantage of" He chuckled nervously.

Neighthan gave him a blank look, sending his hand over his head. "Wooosh" He said.

"Okay, if I can't explain to you what I mean, I'll show you"

All of a sudden, Hoodude sat down, rolled onto his back and stretched both of his legs up and against his ears. Then, he bit down on his crotch an grabbed hold of his backside, placing both legs begins his head. When he was finished, he was in a perfect ball shape. Neighthan's eyes widened as Hoodude unraveled himself and stood back up, scratching the back of his neck.

"...That was weird" He said.

"Yeah" Hoodude said. "I used to use it to get around quickly, but Miss Kindergrubber says it's too dangerous. I'm too clumsy"

"Are you kidding? You can control yourself while you're like that? Dude, you should totally use that on the pitch!"

"Y-you really mean it?" Hoodude said, smiling widely.

"Of course! That's awesome! Plus, since you don't play too well, you could distract the Wolf Pack players"

"Could I?"

"Yeah! Think about it. You look exactly like a ball"

Hoodude wasn't too sure. What if he messed it up like he always does? "I dunno, Neighthan. I doubt the coach will even let me onto the pitch"

"Hey. Maybe I can convince him" Neighthan said. He took Hoodude by the hand and walked over to coach Igor. "Hey, uh, coach Igor?" Neighthan inquired. "Hoodude wants to play for the next half of the game. He feels kind of left out and it's starting to bug him"

Coach Igor gave Hoodude a glare. "Hoodude? Play football?" It wasn't long before coach Igor had burst into a fit of laughter. "No chance, Son. This kid is way too clumsy. Forget falling over the ball. He'd fall over the grass!" He joked. "Oh, come on! He's never actually had a chance to play before" the coach gave him a rather angry look, raising one of his crooked eyebrows. "Okay, fine. But if he messes it up it'll be the last time he plays on this team" Coach Igor gave Hoodude a slap on the backside, practically throwing him onto the field. He looked around at all the eyes staring at him.

He immediately noticed Lagoona giving him a wave and a smile, which gave him some courage. He ran over to her. "Hey, what's my position?" He said eagerly. "Talk t'Venus. She's the team Captain, not me" Lagoona said, giving him a sweet smile. So Hoodude walked over to Venus, who turned around and gave him a stern look. "Lagoona told me to talk to you" He said. "Yeah, sure. Listen, we have nobody in defense right now and I figured, since you can't feel pain, you could be our defender"

"Oh, okay. What do I do?"

"Just hang around in front of the goal and, if anyone tries to score, stop them"

He gave her a wide grin and ran over to the goal. As he looked behind him to see who was in goal, he was surprised to find it just so happened to be Robecca. He smiled as he walked over to her. "Hi Robecca!" He said goofily, waving at her. "Hello" She responded, giving him a polite wave. "I didn't think you'd be in goal" He said. She gave him a smile. "My armour makes me tougher than I look"

"Armour?"

"Yes. My shell is built with reinforced copper"

"Shell?"

Robecca giggled. "Mmm hmm. My mechnism is shaped sort of like a skeleton, so my shell protects it" She tapped on her chest, making a metallic gong sound. "My shell is just my...well, what you would call 'skin'..."

"Oooooh" Hoodude says "So I'm guessing you're pretty durable in the goal, then?"

"Usually. I am sort of clumsy, so I tend to miss a few shots now and again"

"Oh. Well, you probably play better than I do"

"Maybe"

All of a sudden, a large, muscular Boy ran in Hoodude direction, kicking the ball towards the net. Hoodude, although terrified, decided it would be a good idea to try and kick the ball. As it came into reaching distance, he sent the side of his foot against the ball forcefully. However, the ball passed straight under him and took out his entire foreleg, causing the Ragdoll to fall flat onto his face. "Hahaha! Having some trouble there?!" He heard one of the Wolf team yell tauntingly. Robecca swiftly bent down and grabbed the ball, then kicked it back into play. Venus gave Hoodude a rather angry glare, walking over to him. "What the Hell was that?!" She growled. "I gave you one thing to do. ONE THING and you drop the ball on that?" Hoodude looked up, frowning sadly. Although Venus wasn't exactly happy, she didn't want to hurt Hoodude's feelings. "Just...keep trying" She said, walking away and shaking her head.

Robecca gave Hoodude a sympathetic look "Are you alright?" She asked, walking over to him and helping him up.

"...Yes" He said miserably. He stood up, shaking the grass and dirt off his black shirt. "I told you I'm horrible at this stupid game" He said, pouting. "Oh, don't be so stroppy" She mused. "All you need is some practice. Practice makes perfect" She gave him a smile. He huffed and turned back around, facing away from Robecca.

All of a sudden, a blur caught his eye as he saw Neighthan waving from the stands. Then he remembered. His special trick! He could use it. The corners if his mouth curled as a wide grin slowly crept across his face. "Robecca! I'll be right back!" He yelled, sprinting out onto the pitch. "Hoodude, wait! You can't leave your position!" She yelled back at him. But Hoodude didn't listen. He was too busy curling himself into a ball.

In a few short seconds, he went from sprinting to rolling. Robecca, Lagoona and coach Igor all looked at him in confusion. "Hoodude! What're you-" Lagoona called out. But, before she could finish, he rolled in front of one of the Wolf Pack players. "A BALL!" The player yelled. He immediately began sprinting after Hoodude, who was now rolling so fast that he was simply a circular, blue blur.

Lagoona, however, was still extremely confused. That is, until another couple of players from the opposite team began chasing Hoodude. Her eyes widened and she couldn't help but smile as she realized hat was really going on here. Hoodude was tricking the Wolf Pack players into chasing him so the rest of the team could score! "Venus, now!" She yelled. Venus immediately sent the ball flying into the opposing goal, a wide grin plastered across her face. Hoodude stood up, smiling widely as he heard Frankie and Neighthan cheering from the stands.

Venus immediately ran over to Hoodude. "That was...AWESOME!" She screamed, balling her fists and shaking them from side to side with excitement. His grin became even wider. "Can you do it again?" She asked. Hoodude nodded franticaly. "Yeah! Yeah, I can!" He said. "Good!" She giggled, turning back around and running over to her position. "Wait, when?!" He called out. "Just keep them off us!" She yelled back as the ball was kicked back into play.

For the rest of the game, Hoodude did as he was instructed. Every time a Wolf Pack player got near the ball, he rolled right in front of them and guided them away from the goal, allowing Robecca to kick the ball back towards their own. Venus scored almost every shot she took, each time gaining a cheer from the audience. Hoodude's stitched heart was pumping wildly. It felt like he was unstoppable. In fact, it felt like he was on a roll, literally!

The game ended when the team heard coach Igor blow the whistle. Thanks to Hoodude, they had won five goals ahead of the Wolf Pack. Hoodude rolled around ecstatically, laughing loudly. Unfortunately, he wasn't paying attention to how fast he was going. "HOODUDE, WATCH OUT!" He heard Lagoona yell. But it was already too late...

**_SMASH_**

Hoodude let himself unravel, holding his head and groaning. He opened his eyes. They immediately widened as his heart stopped. He had rolled straight into Robecca and the two had tumbled over each other. He was now lead on top of her with their bodies pressed together and their faces touching. "Oh, g-gosh. I'm sorry, Rob-becca" He said sheepishly, getting up. He swore, if he could blush, his entire face would be red. Robecca slowly stood up, smiling at him. Her entire face flushed black with embarrassment as steam puffed from her ears. Both Lagoona and Venus smirked at the pair, but they took no notice.

"Oi! You two lovebirds can do all that off my pitch" coach Igor yelled. "Now get back inside and go to your next class!"


End file.
